[kid5.0]

this mustang i am going to look at is supposedly a 89 lx with a 5.0 carbed engine and a 5spd. Now i've got a few pictures and so far i'm not sure what year it is. he said it had an 85 front end swap (i like them better anyway) but it is actually and 82 gt front bumper w/o the air dam. It has roll up windows and an earlier dash so i'm thinking it may just be an 82 cause he got it in a trade in and he doesn't know much about it.
now my question is, how do i tell if it has a 8.8 rear and how can i tell which year it is cause its not an 82 gt, but the bumper vents between the headlights are that of one. i'll try to post a pic of the rear. he sent me a pic of the exhaust and you can barely see the rear, but it might help.

[kid5.0]

here is a pic. sorry, don't know how to post pics on here:
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...46_86_full.jpg

and here is the pic of the interior. i'm thinking it may be an 85 since it has the ten spoke wheels, but i can't find another picture of a stang with these door panels
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...46_87_full.jpg

[FoxChassis]

The rear looks to be an 8.8".

The door panels are '79/'80.

[kid5.0]

ok, cool. i hope it is an 8.8 right now it is in primer and the front may need to be replaced or an air dam purchased. it has the hood of a 79 pace car and a sunroof, so i may just go for the pace car look. when i go to look at it, where would i look on the body and what should i look for to tell me what yera the body actually is?

[FoxChassis]

Look at the VIN. It will tell you the model year, and if it's a Pace Car too.

[mnjarhead]

I can't tell if that's an 8.8 or not. Take a look at the left and right sides of it. If they're more or less straight up and down, or more squared off it's an 8.8. If they're rounded, like hte coveris more or less a circle (not exactly) then it's a 7.5.
You can always crawl under and read the tag too.

[Rp121 5.0]

how can you tell if it's an 8.8??..are there certain number's or something to tell?

[FoxChassis]

I can tell by what the cover looks like.

[mnjarhead]

I can't remember where on the tag, but you'll see either a 75 or an 88. I want to say it's in the middle of the bottom row, but I can't be sure.

[seamurda]

Take a look at a GT's rear end cover and then compare the two. If they look similar it probably is an 8.8.

[lxarlo]

that pic you posted looks like a 7.5 because the sides are abnormally round for an 8.8

[kid5.0]

just got the vin and it is an 89, thanks for the help! i'll still check it when i get there.

[samsonhusky]

here is a link to some pics of 8.8 and 7.5 from your pick it looks like 8.8 Google Image Result for http://www.usgear.com/images/tl/ford88pattern.jpg

[mustangkyle]

i would say thats an 8.8. its got a vibration damper on the bottom of the housing. the 8.8 i swapped into my car had one and the 7.5 i took out didnt.

[FoxChassis]

7.5s had a vibration dampner too